1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to assembly lines, and more particularly, to a guided airplane relocation device which provides a portable piece of equipment, capable of being setup and operated by a single person, and provides a method of semi-autonomous directional control and automated moving of heavy wheeled assemblies.
2. Background Information
In the construction of heavy wheeled vehicles such as airplanes, large construction/transportation vehicles, and the like, the heavy wheeled vehicles are generally moved from one station to another during the assembly process. In order to move the vehicles down the assembly line, some type of transporting device is required. The transporting device needs to have the ability to follow a prescribed path at a set pace and interface with various types of visual controls.
Several different transporting devices/systems have been developed to move these heavy wheeled vehicles during the assembly process. One type of system uses a chain to pull a plurality of vehicles through the entire assembly shop. The equipment is generally sized to pull multiple vehicles with support stands and equipment. Chain systems are capable of providing movement to a large number of vehicles down the assembly floor. However, chain systems generally are fixed into the floor of the assembly shop. This generally requires a large amount of capital to implement. Furthermore, built-in chain systems have no ability/mobility to change their layout.
There are transporting devices/systems that are more versatile and costs less than fixed chain systems. One such system consists of a friction plate with guide rails and a winch to pull large wheeled vehicles in predetermined increments along the production floor. This type of system is a lower cost solution than the fixed chain system, and is portable enough to be moved. However, this type of system requires the shop to reposition the winch every predetermined number of feet of travel along the production floor as vehicles are pulled toward the winch. Thus, this system is more a pulse line system wherein movement is not continuous for an entire days worth of production.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a transporting device to moved heavy wheeled vehicles during the assembly process that overcomes the above problems.